Magicians in Peril
by Sciguy
Summary: Eriol has fallen severely ill and so has Fujitaka. During a few moments of lucidity, Eriol tells them that Clow has been mortally wounded in the past! Sakura and Syaoran go back in time to rescue Clow-sama, but why was the Return left in the present tim
1. A Magician in Trouble

Hey everybody!  This is my third story.  I'm going to take a long, perhaps permanent, break from my last series for this.  As always, feel free to E-mail me at Sciguy98@msn.com if you need anything.  Well, on with the story.  Oh, and my thanks goes to Starrie who helped me greatly with the plot.

Disclaimer:  I do not own CCS.  I do not own it with a bill; I could not own it with a trill.  Although I may not say it again, a plagiarizer I have not been!

Chapter One:  A Magician in Trouble

Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Eriol were walking down the street on a lovely spring day.  The cherry trees had recently bloomed and Sakura was extremely giddy.  She danced and twirled about under the pink flowers, plucking a few from their branches and smelling their sweet scent.  Even at 18, she still acted like a child sometimes.  Of course, this only made Syaoran love her more.  Tomoyo giggled and whipped out her camera to videotape her.

"Sakura, act you age, not your shoe size!" Syaoran called to her.

"And you should act your shoe size and not your age!" Sakura retorted.

She then grabbed her three friends and dragged them into a grove of cherry trees.  They finally decided that resistance was futile and gave in.  They ran after each other through the trees, dancing and twirling and generally goofing off for a little while.  Finally, Syaoran got to Sakura and gently tackled her to the ground.

The two lay on the ground, breathing heavily.  Syaoran had an arm around her and she snuggled closer once they caught their breath.  They looked at each other lovingly then leaned in close to each other.  Their lips were less than an inch apart when…

"KAWAII!" Tomoyo shrieked as she jumped out of the bushes with her camera, Eriol not far behind.

"AHHH!" Sakura and Syaoran both yelped in surprise.

"I'm sorry, did we scare you, my cute little descendant?" Eriol asked innocently.

"OF COURSE NOT!!  I was just a little surprised, that's all," he replied.

"Gomen nasai," Tomoyo apologized before continuing, "you guys want to go to my house for dinner?"

"I'm in, but I'll need to call Kero to see if he wants to come," Sakura said.

"I don't know why that stupid stuffed animal is coming, but I'll go too," Syaoran confirmed reluctantly.

"Syaoran, be nice," Sakura told him sternly.

"Ok, but only for you," he replied, again reluctantly.

"Arigato!" Sakura chirped as she pecked him on the cheek.

Tomoyo giggled at Syaoran's slight blush and they got back on the road.  Now, though, they were headed for Tomoyo's house where before they had no defined destination.

Few Hundred Years in the Past

A man walked along a small lake admiring the sunset.  He breathed a contented sigh as two others joined him.  A man with long silver hair and white wings was on his left.  A large golden lion with its own white wings took a seat to his right.  He looked at his creations and admired them as well.

"Our first sunset," the lion said simply.

"Sou desu ne," concurred the winged man.

"Don't worry Yue, Cerberus, there shall be many more for you," the man said.

The lion chuckled and said, "I guess so, Clow Reed-sama."

Yue continued to stare out over the lake with his icy blue eyes.  He looked out and saw the wonder that was the sunset.  In the morning, he would see the sunrise.

"Are you alright, Yue?" Clow asked.  He didn't quite understand the personalities of his creations.  Cerberus seemed to be carefree and constantly hungry and Yue was always somber and never ate.  He figured that the mirror-like difference would be due to Cerberus's birth under the sun and Yue's existence under the moon.

Yue just glanced at his master and began to walk back to the mansion.

Clow just sighed and leaned some of his weight on his staff.  He quickly composed himself and began to walk back toward his mansion.  After all, he had another thirty-nine to complete!  He definitely had work to do.

Elsewhere

A man shrouded in darkness sat upon his chair and gazed into space.  He seemed to be looking at the darkness before him, but he saw far more than gloom.  He saw a man.  He saw a man accompanied by a winged man and a great winged lion.  He saw the poor, unknowing trio gaze dreamily off into the sunset.  He saw them speak briefly.  Then, he saw…  No, he couldn't have seen it.  He thought that he saw the winged man glance at him briefly.  No, it was just his imagination.

"Kiyoshi!" a feminine voice called.

"Yes, Amaya?" he replied, looking toward the woman.

"What are you staring at now?" the woman asked.

"At the moment, you," he replied with an evil glint in his eye.

Amaya sat on his lap and straddled him.  Rob looked into her dark violet eyes, then the rest of her body.  Her body was practically flawless.  Her long black hair reached almost down to her shapely buttocks and was streaked with dark, blood red.  Her hips curved around and her waist was just the right size for holding.  Her luscious lips smiled down at him and she bared her fangs.  Her fangs weren't very long, but they curved slightly and she had two on each side of her upper jaw.  Kiyoshi looked up, pausing briefly at her beautiful breasts, before continuing to her pale creamy skin.  She was, actually, a vampire.

"No, what were you looking at before?" she asked.

"Only at the great Clow Reed."

"See anything you liked?"

"Yes, a very powerful blue aura."

"Hehe.  Soon, that power will be yours, right?"

"Ours.  I'll use it to make us both more powerful."

"You're such a sweetheart!"

"Yes, but an evil sweetheart!"

"You'd better be," Amaya said before leaning down and kissing him deeply.

"Mm, tastes good," Kiyoshi commented.

"Speaking of which, I'm getting a little hungry," she told him.

"Well," he said, getting up and gently moving her off of him, "let's see what's on the menu."

He walked into the darkness and glanced behind him at his beautiful vampire.  She was being cliché by wearing all black today.  She wore a black silk dress with a long skirt but a very high slit.  She wore black sheer stockings under the skirt and black-heeled boots covered her feet.  One could see her lower hip as she walked.  The one-piece dress continued up to a simple top with a very low back held together with dark, sheer mesh.  She wore a pair of black, silk gloves that reached passed her elbows to complete the outfit.  Her black and red hair was held back in a ponytail but locks of hair were allowed to play over her face.

They eventually came to a door that Kiyoshi opened.  Inside was a young woman.  She appeared to be around twenty and was dressed very well and was very clean.  One would think that she was there as an honored guest, if it weren't for the shackles and gag she sported.  She seemed to be a poor American girl.  Perhaps a tourist that no one would miss or really bother to look for.

She was in horrible shape when she arrived that morning.  She was bloody and beaten and unconscious.  Now, though, she looked splendid.  She wore a long red dress reminiscent of the Victorian era and an elaborate hairdo to match.  The girl seemed uncomfortable in the tight corset, but no one seemed to care.

She was bound with red rope to match her dress.  Her wrists were tied together behind her back and then to a ring set into the wall.  Her legs were then shackled to the floor with a small length of chain.  A red gag was shoved into her mouth so her pleas for help and mercy would be muted.  Kiyoshi liked the pleading, but Amaya said that the pleading made the prey taste bad.

Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of the door opening and she renewed her struggle.  Kiyoshi and Amaya simply waited for her to tire herself out and once she stopped struggling, they spoke.

"This is a girl that they picked up just this morning," Kiyoshi told Amaya.

"Looks American," Amaya said.

"She is.  She's a tourist, actually."

"Ha!  Not so lucky on your vacation, are you?" Amaya asked the girl.

The girl simply glared at her and made muffled sounds.

"Aw.  It looks like she doesn't want to play," Kiyoshi commented with sadness.

"She looks strong, I like it when they struggle," Amaya said and showed her fangs to the girl.

Her eyes went wide and began to struggle again.  A few tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Bon appetite!" he said.

Amaya gently moved the girl's head to the side and spied the beautiful soft skin of her neck.  She licked her fangs and put her mouth to her neck.  Amaya then slowly bit down, gently puncturing the girl's neck.  Once the fangs had completely entered her neck, Amaya began to draw the blood from the artery there.  Amaya almost entered into a trance as she fed.

Kiyoshi moved to stand in front of the poor girl.  He removed the gag and looked into her eyes, the eyes of terror.

"You poor girl," he spoke to her.

"Please," she pleaded, "please help me."

Her voice was weak and frail.  She was minutes from death.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that.  You see, if you don't die, my girl here will," he said.  He moved and took her cheek in his hand.

"Please…"

"I'm sorry.  Oh, you're out of time.  Goodbye!" he said.  He smirked as she lost consciousness.  He held her head up and kissed her on the forehead.  He then simply dropped her head.

A few minutes later, Amaya withdrew.  Her lips were covered in red and she had a little dribble down her chin.  She licked the lips off of her lips then used a cloth to wipe the remaining blood off.

"Good?" Kiyoshi asked her.

"Very different, exotic.  I left her alive so that I can have her again tomorrow.  Let's find someone from South America next time," she suggested.

"You know that humans have a short shelf life, but, anything for you," Kiyoshi said to her.

"So, when do we move against Clow?"

"Tomorrow…"

Present Day, Tomoeda

Eriol, Tomoyo, Sakura, and Syaoran had eaten dinner at Tomoyo's house the night before.  Now, the group was headed to Eriol's Mansion to hang out for the day.  They hung out a lot, seeing as how Sakura was the only one of them who wasn't rolling in money.  Of course, Kero decided to accompany Sakura to see Suppi and try to feed him sweets.

"Why are you coming with us, stuffed animal?" Syaoran asked Kero.

"That none of your business you gaki!" the mini-guardian replied.

"Why I oughta…" Syaoran began.

"HEY YOU TWO!" Sakura yelled at both of them, "You two will be civil to each other today or Kero will get no pudding for a week and I won't let Syaoran touch me for just as long!"

Syaoran and Kero both had their heads down in shame.

"Yes, Sakura," they both said at the same time.

"I love it when she takes charge like that," Eriol commented to Tomoyo.

She looked up from her camera with a confused look on her face.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because, my darling, you love to tape her when she gets that way.  And if it makes you happy, it makes me happy as well," he replied.

"You smooth talker!" Tomoyo accused him.

"You'd better believe it!" Eriol said.  Once Tomoyo went back to filming her friends bicker, Eriol slid his arms around her waist and started to gently kiss and suck on her neck.  She hated it when he did that when she was filming because she had tendency to tremble and shake a little when he did it.  It also tickled when he hit the right spot.

"Oh no…" Tomoyo said just before Eriol finally found his mark.  Tomoyo started laughing like a mad woman.  Eriol held her fast so that she couldn't get away and continued to torture her.

"Eriol, will you stop that?" Sakura said almost laughing herself.  He did that every few days and Tomoyo never became any wiser to his antics.

"Of course, mistress," Eriol said and let Tomoyo go.  She whipped around and gave him and icy glare.  He simply smirked at her innocently.

"I love you," he told her.

Tomoyo relaxed her glare and replied, "I love you, too."

"Well then, if we could get back on the road…" Syaoran suggested.

"Of course.  Suppi and Nakuru are anxious to see you all again," Eriol said.

Sakura hadn't been back to Eriol's mansion since he revealed that he was the reincarnation of Clow Reed.  The last time she'd even seen his house was during the Void capture.  She hadn't seen Spinel in all that time either.  Since Eriol had moved back, though, she'd seen Nakuru around, but had not yet had the chance to speak with her.

They proceeded to Eriol's home.  Tomoyo and Eriol, as well and Sakura and Syaoran, walked hand in hand.  Cherry blossoms continued to fall around them on such a lovely spring day.

Clow Reed's Home

Clow was standing in his workshop.  Yue and Cerberus were also there, fetching supplies or helping however they could.  Clow mixed a few chemicals together and put the mixture in a small glass vial.  He then walked to the center of the room and his guardians took positions behind him.  He took a key from around his neck and began to chant:

"Key that contains the power of the darkness,

Reveal your true form to me!

By our contract I, Clow Reed, command you

RELEASE!"

His golden magical circle surrounded him.  The key rose from his palm and became a long staff.  It was golden with a sun at the top.  Multiple points radiated from the center as rays do from the sun.

Clow lifted his staff and another, smaller magical circle appeared in front of him.  Yue then took the vial of potion and stood poised to use it.

"I, the magician Clow Reed command the elements!  I hereby seal thee in a new form!" Clow commanded in a loud voice.  Yue then threw the vial to the center of the magical circle.  It exploded and soapy bubbles began to form.

"I command you, form the card of my making!  Bubbles!" Clow yelled his command.

The magical seals became brighter and a fierce wind began to blow.  A spirit erupted from the bubbles and tried to flee, but the circle beneath held it.  It then stopped and became as liquid and coalesced at a single point.  That point grew into a rectangle and a card appeared.  Once the glow had died down, the card floated into the hand of its new master.  Clow plucked the card from midair and read it.

"The Bubbles," he said and he looked at the picture.  He looked at the spirit shown on the card, a young mermaid with long hair of bubbles.  It was really cute.  Clow walked over to his worktable and looked down at the book.  We waved his hand over it and the lock released.  Clow opened the book and placed the card inside.  The book locked once more once the cover had been closed.

Fourteen down, thirty-eight to go.

Later That Day

Clow was very pleased with himself.  He'd completed five cards today.  At this rate, he'd have the last thirty-four completed in a week.  In truth, he had over-extended his powers today.  The Earthy took a lot of power to create.  Of course, he'd meant for it to be the most powerful element card.  He now sat on his deck overlooking the lake as he regained his strength.  Perhaps he would make a card to strengthen people.  Now that the four element cards were complete, he could focus on more important cards.

Before, he was forced to make one or two powerful cards, and then the rest would have to be weak cards.  He may have had the elements now, but he also had the Libra, Wave, Through, Mirror, Twin, Cloud, Flower, Bubble, Glow, Mist, Song, Voice, Thunder, and Rain.

Now, he just sat and watched the sun set.  Suddenly, he felt an odd aura behind him.  He rose shakily and called his guardians.  Clow, Yue, and Cerberus walked over to see who or what had approached.

"SVING!" a loud sound rocketed towards them.  Yue saw what was coming and tried to move his master out of the way, but he was too late.  A single arrow tore into Clow's shoulder.  The energy that it was made up of then seeped into his body.  The dark energy immediately knocked Clow unconscious.  In his weakened state, he might not live.

Yue looked toward where the arrow had come, and briefly saw a man in long dark robes with a bow of red energy smirk at them.  Yue rose and took aim with his own bow of blue energy, but the arrow he let fly hit nothing.  The man had vanished.

Present Day, Hiiragizawa's Mansion

"Hey Suppi!" Kero called.

"Yeah?" the small black animal replied.

"Have some of this!" Kero said, holding up a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup.  (I do not, nor will I ever own the Mars Company or any product of Reece's brand candy.)

"No," Suppi replied simply.

Kero sat and thought for a moment, then remembered the last dessert that Suppi really loved.  He went in to the kitchen and left a few minutes later with some fried octopus balls.

"Is that…" Suppi asked incredulously.

"Fried octopus!" Kero confirmed.

Suppi's eyes went wide and he dove in.  He then hit the core of pure sugar that Kero had replaced the octopus with.  Suppi's cheeks took on a warm glow and his held an expression of content.  He then rocketed up and flew around in circles blasting things with his breath.  Suppi was on a sugar rush.

In the parlor, Eriol, Syaoran, Sakura, and Tomoyo were talking.  Nakuru came down and joined the conversation as well.  Suddenly, in the middle of a sentence, Eriol fell silent.  His eyes glazed over a little and he seemed to lose touch with reality.

"AHHHH!" he screamed in pain as he threw his head back.  He collapsed from the couch onto the floor.

"IT HURTS!  THE PAIN!  GET IT OUT!  GET IT OUT!" he continued to scream, clawing at his left shoulder.

An alarmed Nakuru transformed into Ruby Moon and crouched beside her master.  Spinel Sun burst from the dining room and stood next to Eriol as well.

"Stay back!" Nakuru warned.

Eriol was now trembling on the ground.  Every few moments he would convulse wildly.  It looked as if he was having severe seizures every few seconds.

"Yue!  Cerberus!  Help me!!" Eriol called, but it wasn't his voice.  Sakura looked aghast as she recognized the voice.  It was Clow Reed!  Hearing what sounded like his former master, Kero came in to see what was going on.

"Clow-sama?" Sakura asked cautiously.

Eriol looked right at Sakura and asked, "Who are you?  How do you know my… AHHH!  Make the pain STOP!  PLEASE!  MAKE IT STOP!"  Eriol had begun to claw at his shoulder again.  He was beginning to draw blood now.

"We have to stop him.  He's going to kill himself at this rate!" Spinel said with great concern and urgency.

"SLEEP!  I, Sakura, command you now!  Put Eriol-kun to sleep!" Sakura called after pulling out the Sleep Card.

Eriol then vomited all over his beautiful hardwood floor and promptly fell into a deep sleep.  Normally, his Clow magic would rend him immune to the effects of the card, but his episode had severely drained him.  He now lay on the floor in a small pool of blood and vomit.  The left lens of his spectacles had cracked from his fall.

"Nakuru, clean him up and get him in bed.  Syaoran, go to the bathroom and get a basin of warm water and a rag.  Tomoyo, stay with him no matter what in case he wakes up.  Spinel, return to your false form and prepare a snack incase Eriol wakes up hungry.  Have Kero help you.  I'll see if I can keep him stable with my magic," Sakura gave orders.  When no one moved, she got angry.

"I SAID MOVE!" she yelled at them.  Jarred from their reveries, they all began to move.  Ruby Moon used her magic to levitate Eriol into his bedroom and Tomoyo followed.  Suppi flew and mach two into the kitchen and Kero followed him.  Syaoran ran ahead of Nakuru into the upstairs bathroom where he knew the basin was stored.

Once in the master bedroom, Tomoyo and Nakuru changed Eriol into his pajamas and cleaned up the blood and vomit.  Tomoyo bandaged the wound as Nakuru got the old sheets on the bed.  She also put a rubber sheet under everything so that nothing important would stain.  Once he was bandaged, Eriol was placed in the bed.  The blankets were tucked around him as Syaoran came in to set up a table and he placed the basin upon it.

Suppi and Kero flew with a small plate of good, but very nutritious food.  They knew that he wouldn't eat much if at all.

Sakura came in and pulled two cards from her deck.

"Power!  Keep Eriol strong!  Dream!  Suppress any nightmares he may be having!"  The two cards then worked their magic and Eriol seemed to improve greatly.  Just then, the telephone rang.

"Moshi moshi, Hiiragizawa residence," Nakuru answered.

"Mmhm, yeah.  I'll tell her.  Ok, here's Sakura.  Sakura!  Your brother said that your dad just had a series of seizures!  Sounds a lot like what happened to Eriol," Nakuru said.

"Tell Onii-chan to get Yukito and my dad over here as soon as possible," Sakura told her.

Nakuru relayed the message and hung up.

A few minutes later, Touya drove up and he and Yukito brought Fujitaka up to Eriol's bedroom.  He was already dressed in something comfortable so they simply put him next to Eriol on his huge king size bed.  Sakura commanded her cards to spread their effects to her father.  Eriol worsened slightly but Fujitaka improved greatly.

One Day Later

Eriol had finally woken and was telling everyone about what was happening.

"Eriol, what's going on?" Sakura asked.  Ever since the crisis, Sakura had taken over everything.  She gave all of the orders and everyone seemed to route questions and decisions through her.

"Clow…" he said weakly.

"What about Clow?"

"He's hurt.  An arrow… in his shoulder."

"An arrow wouldn't have done this to you."

"Magical… Dark… pain," Eriol winced as he spoke that last word.

"Eriol, what can we do to help?" Tomoyo asked.  She hadn't left his side the entire time and despite a lack of sleep, she was still there for him.  A single tear fell down her face as he winced again.

"You can't help me.  You must… help Clow.  Dying," Eriol told her.

"How?" Tomoyo posed.

"Arrow," Eriol said quietly.

"What are we going to do?" Syaoran asked Sakura once Eriol lost consciousness again.

"We need more information…" Sakura said, then had a thought, "Dream!  Return to your spirit form before me!"

The Dream left Fujitaka and Eriol and stood before Sakura.  The spirit stood there, waiting for instruction.

"Dream, I'd like you to look at Eriol and my father's dreams and see if they have any useful information," Sakura said.

Dream bowed and said, "Yes, Mistress Sakura."  She then placed her hands on the two men's heads and probed their thoughts.

"I see the moon and sun guardians.  I see eighteen Clow Cards.  I see Clow-sama.  They have sensed an odd aura.  They move to investigate.  A man with dark eyes and a red bow of energy fires upon them.  A dark arrow pierces Clow-sama's left shoulder.  The moon guardian returns fire, but the man is already gone.  The dark arrow enters Clow's body.  He screams in pain.  He convulses.  He calls for help.  The guardians help Clow up.  I can see no more," Dream said then returned to face her mistress.

"Is there anything else, anything at all?" Syaoran asked.

"No, there is not.  I saw that Clow did not feel well.  I assume that he fell unconscious, that is why I can see no more.  Do you have further need of me?"

"No, Dream.  Arigato gozaimasu," Sakura told the card.  She bowed and returned to her card form.

"So, what do we do now?" Tomoyo asked no one in particular.

"You stay with them, Tomoyo.  Syaoran and I go to rescue Clow," Sakura said.

"I can't do anything now.  I might as well see you off," Tomoyo said.

Cherry Tree Orchard

An hour had passed and all had been made ready.  Tomoyo had furnished Sakura and Syaoran period clothing so that they could move around Clow's time without worry.  Sakura brought other necessities with her, such as a first aid kit, to help Clow.  Once they arrived at the oldest tree in the orchard, the oldest tree in the town, they stopped.  Kero and Yukito both assumed their true forms in case they appeared in a battlefield.

"Ok, are we all ready to go?" Sakura asked.

They all said that they were.

"Tomoyo, we'll be back soon.  You just need to get some rest and watch over Eriol and my father.  I'm trusting you to keep them safe and alive," Sakura said.

"But, what if you can't help him?  What if they both die?" Tomoyo asked, nearly in tears.

"Tomoyo, "Syaoran started, "We WILL safe Clow and Eriol and Kinomoto-san WILL live."

"Ok," Tomoyo said.

"Let's go," Yue said impatiently.

Sakura released her staff and drew the Return from her deck.

"Return!  I, Sakura, command you!  Return us back to the time of your former master, Clow Reed.  Return us to when he first fell ill so that we can save his reincarnations!  RETURN!"

Her magical circle surrounded Sakura.  The spirit of the Return sprung forth and drew the four travelers into the cherry tree, and they were gone.

A rectangle of pink slowly drifted to the ground.  A slight breeze blew and it tumbled gently.  Violet gazed and widened and the sight of the card.  Then, the violet saw nothing as a girl collapsed and lay in the center of an orchard.

Fin Chapter One:  "A Magician in Trouble"

What's wrong with Clow Reed!  Will he live?  Will he die?  What will happen to Eriol and Fujitaka?  And why was a card left behind?  What does it all mean?  You'll find out soon enough.  Until then, please review!  Domo Arigato!


	2. The Arrival

Well, here we are again.  This is my second installment of my super duper Fanfiction!  I have a high opinion of myself, don't I?  I have a good feeling about this story.  I hope you agree with me!  

Anywho, I hope that you enjoy it!

Disclaimer:  I own no part of Card Captor Sakura, Clamp does.

Chapter Two:  The Arrival

Clow Reed's Time, Tomoeda

Sakura and Syaoran appeared between Yue and Cerberus to find no one around.  They all kept their guard up and Yue performed a quick check for auras.  No one was within thirty meters in this dense orchard.

"Seems like we have some relative privacy," Cerberus commented.

"People, less than a hundred feet from here," Yue informed.

"You and Kero should return to your false forms to avoid drawing attention," Sakura told her moon guardian.

Yue and Cerberus both nodded and their wings came around to envelop them.  Once their wings disappeared, Yukito stood there smiling and Kero flew over to Sakura.

"Sakura, we should probably walk around to gather our bearings first.  The people of this time also had slightly different ways of speaking so be careful," Kero cautioned.

"We shall," Syaoran chimed in.

"Yes, let's go into the town.  All that time travel made me hungry," Yukito mentioned.

Sakura sighed and said, "Alright, let's go."

Tomoeda Market

Yukito, Sakura, and Syaoran were chowing down on some food at a tavern with Kero hidden in Sakura's lap.  Yukito had ordered a lot of food and he was eating quite a bit.  Sakura and Syaoran sweatdropped, but continued to eat and share.  Soon, they had finished their meal.

"You know Sakura, I just had a thought," Kero mentioned.

"Oh, what's that?" she asked.

"Well, we just ate all of this food…"

"So?"

"How do you plan on paying for all of it?"

"HOE!"

"You mean that you didn't bring any period money?" Syaoran asked.

"Did you?" Sakura retorted.

"Uh, good point."

"Um, miss?" a waitress came up to them.

"Hai?" Sakura responded.

"Here's your bill.  Your friend here can definitely eat a lot," she said.

"Um, we actually have no money," Sakura said with a weak laugh.

"Big John!" the woman called to the back with an annoyed tone.

"What?" a huge man said coming out of the kitchen.

"These folks can't pay," she told Big John.

"You guys must have something to trade," John said in a loud, booming voice.

"We're all powerful magicians, is there a problem to need to fix?" Syaoran asked.

"Yeah, a few hundred dishes need to disappear.  Can you do that?" he asked amused.

"We could make them disappear, but would you rather that we clean them?" Sakura asked confidently.

"Yeah yeah yeah…" he said as he led them into the kitchen.

Dish Washing Room

John lit a large lantern, illuminating the room.  They were met with mound upon mound of dishes.  There were over a dozen stacks over six feet high.

"Have fun!" John said as he closed the door.

"This is going to take us hours!" Syaoran complained.

"For a normal person, it might take hours or days, but not for a magician," Sakura said holding up Firey, Watery, and Bubbles.

"Sakura, do you know how much I love you?" Syaoran asked and Sakura blushed slightly.

"Alright you two!  Break it up, we have work to do!" Kero interjected.  He still didn't like the fact that the Chinese Gaki was so close to Sakura.

"Sakura," Yukito began, "Perhaps you should use float first then let Syaoran take care of the water.  You'll be able to clean them faster that way with less power drain."

He was right, using two elements cards at once or in quick succession still tended to drain her and she couldn't afford to be at half strength when having to deal with Clow Reed.

Sakura released her staff and called, "Float!  Levitate these dishes and hold them in place until you are recalled!  FLOAT!"  All of the dishes lifted into the air and stayed there.

Syaoran had just finished his incantation, "…obey the command!  WATER!" all of the dishes were then drenched with water.

Sakura then called the bubble to clean them.  Syaoran rinsed and dried them and Sakura used float to put them all away.  This whole process had taken all of about five minutes.

"While we're at it, do you guys want to clean the whole room up a little?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, I want to give that big guy a heart attack upon seeing this room," Syaoran said with a chuckle.

They then repeated the process with the floors and walls.  Soon the entire room was cleaner than it probably was when it was constructed.  They'd spent about fifteen minutes total when they left.

"Hey!  Get back in there and finish!" Big John yelled at them.

"We're done," Yukito said simply.

"Yeah right, let me see…" he trailed off as he looked at the clean room and clean dishes all put away.

"Is that good enough?" Syaoran asked.

"I thought that only the great Clow Reed could do something like this," John said still in awe.

"Speaking of which, do you know where we could find him?" Sakura asked.

"He is at his mansion atop the southern hill.  Rumor says that a winged man and lion meet any encroachers to protect Clow-sama."

"Yue, Kero…" Sakura said since they were alone in the room.

Yukito transformed into Yue and Kero turned into Cerberus.  They then took up positions behind Sakura and Syaoran, who were standing beside each other.

Big John was in a state of catatonia.

"See what you did Sakura," Syaoran commented.

"Oh well, come on…" Sakura left and Syaoran, Kero, and Yukito trailed behind her.

Clow's Gate

Sakura and the gang stopped at Clow's gate.  It was a massive thing of wrought iron and high stone pillars.

"How are we going to open it?" Yukito asked.

"Considering Clow's pension for magical locks…" Sakura walked up to the gate and went to touch it, but it opened just before she could, "…it should pop right open."

"I could have done _that_," Syaoran commented.

Sakura shot him a playful glare and Kero gave him a not so playful glare as they walked through the gate.  The fog that seemed to hide the estate seemed to lift within a few feet of the entrance.  They quickly recognized a path and began to walk down it.

They passed many landmarks that yet existed in their time and saw a few things that didn't exist yet.  They saw where the playground would be built.  Sakura spotted the exact location of the tower where they captured the Void.  They saw some saplings that they knew would grow to be huge.  They continued walking and soon they spotted the mansion that would one day belong to Eriol.  Yue and Cerberus decided to make their appearance now, as well.

"I am Yue, the moon guardian of Clow Reed…" Yue started.

"And I am Cerberus, the sun guardian of Clow Reed," the winged lion said.

"State your names and your purpose here," Yue continued.

"I am Kinomoto Sakura, Mistress of the Sakura Cards and I have come in search of Clow Reed."

"I am Li Syaoran, leader of the Li clan in China, and I too am here for an audience with Clow."

"And us," Yukito said with Kero on his shoulder, "Hope that you don't have to find out."

"Clow-sama will see no one today," Cerberus stated.

"But we insist upon seeing him," Sakura said forcefully.

"Then you must defeat us," Yue told her.

Sakura stepped back and told Yukito and Kero, "have fun."

Sakura's guardians stepped forward and transformed into their true forms.  The younger guardians were visibly shocked, but held their ground.

"I am Yue, the moon guardian of Mistress Sakura…" Yue started.

"And I am Cerberus, the sun guardian of Mistress Sakura," the winged lion said.

"Then, we shall battle," the younger Yue said.

(Now, let's all hope that Sciguy can do a huge battle scene without completely screwing up the names and confusing everyone!)

The Yues both rose into the air and stared each other down.  Neither flinched for a long time.  The Younger Yue finally made a move.

The Younger got his crystals ready and fired them at the Elder.  The Elder simply raised his hand and his energy shield protected him.  The Elder raised his bow and started to fire off shots.  The younger barely dodged the first few before deciding to run.  Hopefully he would be stronger at a high-speed confrontation.  Elder flew parallel to Younger and continued to fire arrows.  Younger dipped and dived and banked out of the way several times.  Younger finally got a little room and fired another crystal attack at Elder.  Elder rid himself of his bow and fired a denser crystal attack into the other's.  The small, blue shards annihilated each other.  None made it through, except for one.  One of the Elder's shards got through the torrent to pierce the Younger's wing.  The younger Yue fell to the ground and Sakura's guardian notched one final arrow…

While the Yues were fighting, the Cerberuses were also battling hard.  The Younger took flight first and fired off a blast of fire.  The Elder simply used his wings to form a shield.  Younger came around and decided that going paw-to-paw might be a better bet.  As soon as he tried to swoop in close enough to attack, the Elder brought his wings back and a stream of fire erupted from his throat.  The Younger had almost no time to react and ended up scorching a wing.  He then used his good wing to swing around and ram into the Elder Cerberus.  They both fell to the ground and began to roll as they tried to attack each other viciously.  Finally, the two rolled away from each other and stood to face each other.  The Younger was slightly bloodied and drained, but the Elder was almost unscratched.  Sakura's guardian noticed his opponent falter and prepared to fire one last fireball…

"You have defeated us," a weakened version of Cerberus and Yue said.  Sakura's guardians picked up Clow's guardians and brought them into the house to rest.  After putting them to bed to rest and regain their strength.

Yue and Cerberus opted to stay outside while Syaoran and Sakura entered Clow's room to see how he was doing.  They entered to see a sorry sight.  Sakura nearly shed tears when she saw Clow Reed.  He was lying in his four-poster bed, a shell of a man he once was.  His face was stark white and his skin was clammy.  He was tossing weakly in his bed and the circles beneath his eyes indicated his lack of sleep.  Indeed, he had not slept in two days.

"Clow-sama!  Are you alright?" Sakura asked worried.  She'd expected him to be in the same shape as Eriol and her father, but he was far worse.

"Who… Who are you?" he managed to gasp and choke out

"We're friends… here to help you," Syaoran told him.

"But… Who?" Clow persisted.

"My name is Kinomoto Sakura and this is Li Syaoran," Sakura explained.

Clow chuckled weakly and said, "Li is my mother's name."

Syaoran gave Sakura a brief smile and Sakura almost laughed.  After all, Syaoran was a descendant of Clow's mother.

"Now, Clow-sama, just sleep.  I'll try to heal you…" Sakura said.

Clow closed his eyes and Sakura used Sleep to put him out instantly.  Sakura then began to concentrate with her hands on Clow's chest.  Syaoran reached over and put one hand on Sakura's shoulder and his right hand onto one of her own hands.  Sakura smiled warmly up at Syaoran as Clow began to heal.  They didn't notice the dark aura sneak up behind them…

Hours Earlier

"Who the heck is Kinomoto Sakura?" Kiyoshi yelled.

"Um, uh, we… have no idea…" his lead researcher said.

"You'd better have _something_ for me or your entire team will die a slow and painful death."

"Um, we have a few images of her!" he quickly said and handed him some paper.  This was a magical paper that could capture images with a small device.  Kiyoshi called it "Polerod" or something like that.

"Well that's better…"

"Sir?"

"Dismissed."

The man then bowed as he left and once he got about twenty feet away, he turned and bolted out of the room.

"Who's the little girl?" Amaya asked, slinking up to her lover in a skintight red Chinese dress.  Kiyoshi glanced toward her, then her short skirt, then back at the picture.

"A magician that's headed for Clow's mansion."

"So?  What could she do?"

"They say that she's as powerful as Clow."

"And…"

"She might be strong enough to heal and protect him.  Maybe even strong enough to defeat us."

"Would you like me to take care of her?" Amaya said, taking the picture from Kiyoshi and looking at it in more detail.

"What did you have in mind?" Kiyoshi leaned back a little in his chair.

"Something involving…" Amaya straddled Kiyoshi's hips as she sat on his lap.  She grabbed his gee roughly as she continued to say, "…torture."

"Mm, sounds good," he told her as he reached up and grabbed her shoulders.  He pulled her down onto him and kissed her roughly.  When she tried to withdraw, he grabbed her neck and pulled her into him again.  She kissed him as deeply as she could, and she withdrew again she was unhindered.

"Oh, so I guess I've finally satisfied you?" she asked him playfully.

"No, but it'll do for now," he said.

"Well, I'll head off to take care of Sakura now.  Ja ne!" Amaya called as her image shimmered out of sight.

Clow's Room

Sakura was halfway through the healing process when an evil presence shimmered in behind her.  In their weakened states, Sakura and Syaoran weren't able to sense her.  Amaya snuck up behind Sakura and made her move.  She shoved Syaoran out of the way and grabbed Sakura.  Amaya had her around her neck and applied pressure to keep her quiet and docile.

"No!  Stop!  Let Sakura go!" Syaoran yelled as he released his sword.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow her to heal Clow Reed.  It's would put a kink in our plans.

"Sakura!" Cerberus yelled as he and Yue burst into the room.

"You've nowhere to go," Yue said coldly as Amaya backed herself and Sakura into a corner.

"Don't I?" Amaya said as she and Sakura compressed into a small red ball, which shot straight up.

Kiyoshi's Chamber

The evil warlock sat on his bed in meditation.  He was thinking about what to do with Sakura once Amaya brought her back.  She he torture her physically, psychologically, or both?  Soon, a small red ball entering his chamber disturbed him.  He opened his eyes just in time to see Amaya and Sakura appear before him.

"Amaya, darling, keep her held while I check her for weapons,"

Amaya nodded her consent and she tightened her grip.  Kiyoshi then quickly searched Sakura.  He searched every inch of her body, being sure that there were no hidden pockets or flaps that may contain magical artifacts.  Amaya wished that she were the one being searched that way.  He was touching every part of her body, although he wasn't fondling or groping, just searching.

He came away with a deck of pink cards and a key with a star on the end on a necklace.  He walked over to a pedestal on the side of the room and placed the objects there.  A red shield formed over it and became translucent after a short chant from Kiyoshi.  He turned and nodded to Amaya.

Amaya walked over to a wall and a set of shackles appeared.  Sakura began to struggle and curse at them when Amaya freed a hand to get the cuffs ready.

"Why have you done this?  Let me go!  I'm warning you…" Sakura said.

"…Or you'll do WHAT?" Kiyoshi cut her off.

"We have all of the power and control here," Amaya added as Sakura's right wrist was snapped into the shackle.

"Syaoran and my guardians will come to save me!" Sakura yelled.

"They'll never find us.  This place exists in a completely different realm from the one you were in and is protected from any means of magical detection," Kiyoshi informed as Sakura's other wrist and right ankle were secured.

"Then I'll break out of my own accord!" Sakura screamed again and Amaya stepped back after finishing securing the young magician.

"You don't seem to understand, girl.  I'm the most powerful mage in the world and you are now my slave," Kiyoshi said.  He drew a collar from nowhere.  It was a shiny pink color with the words "Slave Sakura" engraved in gold.  Once it was placed on her neck, it constricted and nearly choked Sakura before it ended up being almost skintight around her throat.  Its purpose was three-fold.  First, it allowed Kiyoshi to know exactly where she was at all times.  Second, its magic kept her quiet.  Third, it reminded Sakura constantly that she was now his "property."

Sakura simply glared at the two as they smiled evilly at her and planned her torture and execution.

(Public opinion poll!  I kind of want to torture Sakura and be really evil to her and be really graphic.  If I get 5 or more reviews telling me not to torture Sakura too much, then I'll try and skip over most of it.  Ok?)

Cherry Tree Orchard

Touya had been worried when Tomoyo hadn't come back in several hours.  Eriol whispered to him about where they'd gone while he was lucid and now he was driving there.  He pulled up to the grove and grabbed a flashlight as he got out.  He'd need it to find Tomoyo in the dark night.  After nearly an hour of searching, Touya finally spotted her lying in front of a large tree.  He rushed over to her and knelt down beside her and lifted her head up gently.

"Tomoyo?  Tomoyo!" Touya called.

"…" Tomoyo didn't respond.

"TOMOYO!" Touya yelled at her.

"C-c-c-card…" Tomoyo finally said drowsily.

"What card?  What about the cards?"

"R-return.  By the tr-tree…" Tomoyo pointed toward the tree and fell unconscious again.

Touya laid her down gently and shone his light toward the tree.  He walked over and picked up a card.  He looked at the robed woman depicted holding a clock and spoke the name, "The Return…"

Fin Chapter Two:  The Arrival

Well, what do we have here?  Sakura's been kidnapped, enslaved, and will soon be tortured.  Touya discovers Tomoyo and The Return!  What will happen next?  Review and I might tell you!  Sayonara!


	3. Lessons

Hey everyone!  It's time once again to see how the Card Captor Sakura team is doing!  I guess we'll see what happens, eh?  In this episode, we get a glimpse of Sakura's torture regimen.  I recommend that anyone who doesn't enjoy or would object to scenes of violence not to read on.  I promise to make it tasteful, but some people are simply too stubborn to try it out.

Disclaimer #1: I do not own Card Captor Sakura or any anime represented in this fictional work in its entirety.

Disclaimer #2: The following may contain scenes or descriptions that some readers may find objectionable.  They include but are not limited to torture and sadism.  Consider yourself warned.

Chapter Three:  Lessons

Kiyoshi's Chamber

Sakura has just been imprisoned and enslaved under Kiyoshi.  He and Amaya have left the room leaving Sakura alone.  She had briefly tried to struggle but found her bonds far too strong.  As the gravity of her situation finally donned on her, she collapsed to the floor and began to cry.  Her bonds allowed her to sit, but her arms had to stay at an extended position to accomplish it.  She couldn't sleep that way.  The extension would cause her arms to eventually cramp painfully.  Perhaps that was part of her torture?  She would have to wait, alone, to find out.

Clow's Mansion

"Sakura!" Syaoran yelled at the space that she once occupied.

"She's gone…" Yue deduced sadly.

"KUSO!" Syaoran yelled and drove his fist through a floorboard.

"Li, destroying the floor will not bring her back," Cerberus told him softly.

"Y-y-youkai…" Clow managed to rasp out before falling unconscious again.

"What about demons?" Yue asked, walking up to his former master.

"It's of no use," the younger Yue said, leaning on the doorframe through which he had just entered as he continued, "he probably won't wake up for a while.  I know of a half-demon that may help us, though."

Eriol's Home

"What happened to her?" Nakuru said once she saw Touya bring Tomoyo into the room in his arms.

"I found her passed out in an orchard.  She hasn't slept for two days, can you blame her?" Touya said, placing Tomoyo next to Eriol on the bed.

"They must have used one of the trees there and the Return," Suppi said.

"Yeah," Touya pulled out the card he found, "I guess that they must have used Return."

"Uh, where'd you get that?" Nakuru asked.

"I found it by a tree near Tomoyo, why?"

"It should be with Sakura," Suppi informed.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Without that card, they can't get back," Nakuru finally said.

"OH SH…"

Clow's Time

"So now we need the help of a half-demon, a monk with a hole in his hand, and girl with a huge boomerang, and a reincarnated priestess?" Syaoran asked Yukito incredulously as they left the Clow estate.

"Well, we've dealt with reincarnations.  No surprises there," Kero remarked.

"Perhaps," Yukito said simply.

"Where are we going to find them?" Syaoran asked no one in particular.

"You brought your Lasin Board, no?" Kero asked him.

"Yeah, so?" Syaoran replied.

"I seem to remember that they were after a sacred jewel called the Shikon no Tama.  It's magical, so perhaps your board can find the shards," Kero suggested.

"Worth a try…"Syaoran trailed off as he pulled his board out and began to chant.

"The King of the gods commands, gods appear from all directions:

Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, wind, lightning; the new command…

The king of the gods commands, gods appear from all directions:

Soft thunder, spinning lightning…

OBEY THE COMMAND!

Find the Shikon no Tama!"

With that last line, the Lasin Board exploded with life.  If rose into the air and Syaoran backed away, not understanding his artifact's odd behavior.  Blue energy swirled around it and over a dozen beams shot out in many directions.

"_That_ could be a problem…" Yukito said simply, still surprised.

Kiyoshi's Chamber

Sakura was sitting down with her arms above her head, a position that her bonds forced her into.  She had actually drifted into a light sleep and was breathing shallowly, but steadily.  It had taken 26 hours from waking up the day before to succumb to exhaustion.  Kiyoshi walked in with Amaya to begin to implement their plan.  They were going to break Sakura…

"Wake up wench!" Amaya yelled and slapped Sakura across the face.  Sakura awoke with a start and was confused when she didn't see her familiar walls or Kero.  Suddenly she remembered where she was and her expression of confusion became that of steel as she glared at the one who had struck her.

"Nice to see that you're awake," Kiyoshi started, "your lessons begin today.  Excited?"

"My friends will save me and I will kill you myself," Sakura said coldly with venom dripping from her words.

Sakura was rewarded with her collar becoming alive with electrical energy.  The ring about her neck began to electrocute Sakura and she collapsed as far as her bonds allowed.  She breathed heavily as she looked up at the evil mage with fire in her eyes.

"You see Sakura, as long as that collar is around your neck, you'll never be able to escape.  I can have it shock you, choke you, levitate to hang you, or simply have it squeeze your head right off.  I'm a sore loser, so a rescue from your friends would be rather foolhardy," Kiyoshi explained nonchalantly.  Sakura's face betrayed nothing, but her aura dimmed considerably.  Her hope for rescue was dwindling.

"W-What are you going to do to me?" Sakura asked.

"I'm going to make you my slave, my servant," he told her.

Amaya giggled evilly and was met with a fierce slap of her own.

"Amaya!  What are you laughing at!  You are my servant and she will be mine, not yours.  You two are in the same position so you have no room to laugh."

Amaya looked shocked and quickly knelt down on the floor, not daring to speak again.

"You know what?  I'm tiring of your insolence.  As a reminder of your position, you'll undergo everything done to Sakura…"

"No!  Kiyoshi-sama!  I'll do anything…"

"SILENCE!"

Amaya bit her tongue and bowed low, touching her forehead to the ground in a symbol of submissiveness.  Her collar, which Sakura just now noticed, began to glow and she became pinned to the ground by her neck.

"Now, the lessons shall begin…" Kiyoshi said, calming down.

Sakura's manacles released and her own collar forced her next to Amaya.  Kiyoshi began to leave and the collars dragged the two women behind him.  Sakura felt like she was about to choke from the stress on her neck and Amaya seemed to be having the same trouble.  Soon, a door swung open in front of them in the corridor and Kiyoshi entered, his prizes still following him unwillingly.

Slave Cell

They entered a very sparse and very small room.  It seemed to be medium-small closet made of stone.  The woman slid ahead of the man and the collars released them once they were within the cell.  Kiyoshi, as an added bit of humiliation, gestured and the two's clothes were ripped off and disappeared.  The two covered themselves up as best they could and cowered in the corners of the cell.

"First," Kiyoshi told them, "you two will get to know each other.  I'm coming back for you in four hours, so I suggest that you get some sleep as well.  Goodnight my darlings."

Kiyoshi said that last sentence sweetly as he closed the door and locked it.  There was a dull glow in the room, but Sakura could not ascertain its source.  It was enough to see with a dark-adapted eye, but not bright enough to disrupt sleep.  The cold floor and cramped space would disrupt sleep, however.

"Hello…" Amaya began uncertainly.  She expected Sakura to hate her as well.

"Hi…" Sakura replied.

"I'm Amaya."

"I noticed."

"Oh…"

"Sakura…"

"I wish that I could have met you under better terms, Sakura."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Perhaps we should sleep.  Master will give us a long day tomorrow."

"Looks like there's only enough room for one to lie down here…"

"And it's really cold," Amaya said as she shivered violently, "I guess we'll be sleeping very close tonight."

"I guess we don't have much choice…"

The two then laid down, Sakura on top of the slightly larger Amaya, and held each other trying to stay warm.  Sakura's exhaustion bested her again and she fell into a deep sleep.  Amaya simply smiled broadly before going to sleep, thinking about how well their plan was going.  Sakura would be theirs in no time…

Elsewhere, Same Time Period

"Element WATER!" Syaoran called and pressed his sword against the ofudo suspended in midair.  A great column of water rushed toward the demon.  It saw the attack en route and attempted to dodge, but Yue's arrows and Cerberus's flames persuaded it to stay in place.  It was soon drenched in cold water and it didn't seem very happy about the early bath it had received.

"Element THUNDER!" Li called after pulling out the appropriate charm.  The dampened ogre felt the great power of thunder four fold due to his conductive situation.  It yelled in pain and it disintegrated.  Yue walked over to where it once stood and retrieved the two Shikon shards that it possessed.

"How many does that make?" Kero asked, returning to his false form.

"Five shards of the Shikon no Tama," Yue replied.  He handed the two new fragments to Syaoran before becoming Yukito.  
"With this many, I assume that the group which we seek will appear to take them soon," Syaoran stated.  The local eloquence of the era was starting to rub off on him.  They'd been searching for the half-demon and his friends ever since Sakura was taken, nearly a week ago.  Everyday, Li grew more and more desperate.  This latest battle proved it with all of the bruises and blood drawn.  Li was left still breathing heavily with a bleeding wound on this left shoulder.  It was bandaged, but it would be days before he should move; yet he set out again after only a few hours.  His board detected a shard less than five miles away in the next village.  When he questioned the people in his current town about the next, they told him that a priestess named "Kaede" took care of it.

Current Time Period, Local Mall

Tomoyo had decided to go to the mall, hoping that shopping would be enough of a distraction to cheer her up.  It wasn't.  She just walked down the corridors with her head low, carrying a single bag.  The scarcity of her purchases was an obvious indicator of her horrible emotional state.  She passed a store and wondered if her mom was working.  Although Sonomi was a prominent businesswoman, she still liked to work random shifts at her local toy store branches.

"Oh!  Miss Daidouji!  What a pleasant surprise!" the woman at the counter greeted.

"Konnichiwa Mirei-san, my mother wouldn't happen to be around, giving you trouble and scaring off your customers, would she?" Tomoyo asked her politely.

"No," she chuckled, "That's why I put in the back, stocking shelves and taking inventory."

Tomoyo smiled.  It was another one of her mother's practices.  She would show up for work and since the manager was placed in charge for a reason, the manager would have complete control over what work she did.  She was there to make sure everything was running properly and to help out, not to meddle in the shop's business practices and take over.

"Konnichiwa Okaa!" Tomoyo called.  It really isn't customary for a girl her age to address her mother as "Okaa," but Tomoyo liked to do so anyway.

"Konnichiwa Tomoyo.  You know, a girl your age should be calling her mother Haha by now…"

"Mother, I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but deal with it."

"HA!  You're so cute sometimes Tomoyo-chan," Sonomi stated.

"Did you hear about Eriol-kun and Kinomoto-san?" Tomoyo asked.

"Iie, what's wrong?" she asked, instantly worried.

"They've both fallen very ill…"

"Tomoyo?" her mother asked when she saw a tear fall to the floor.

"They…  They could both die," Tomoyo finally stated.

"I'll call the hospital, get the best doctors, fly in the best specialists…"

"No," Tomoyo said, cutting off her mother, "It's not that kind of sickness."

"Magical?"

"Hai…"

"Is that why I haven't seen Sakura for a few days?  Has she gone off to find a cure?"

"Hai."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Iie…"

"I'll be at Eriol's home after work, alright?  I'll bring you some food, as I'm sure that Akizuki-san isn't the best cook."

Tomoyo chuckled at that, "No, she burned the sushi…"

"How in the hell did she manage to burn something that you don't cook?"

"I have no idea.  Maybe it has something to do with her not being human…"

"I guess so.  Well, I'll be around later.  You just try to shop and have as good a time as you can, ok?"

"Hai!" Tomoyo said.  She leaned forward and gave her mother a strong hug.  It was unusual, but Sonomi embraced her nonetheless.

Tomoyo broke away with a smile on her face.  She bid her mother goodbye and left.  On the way, she asked the store manager a question.

"Excuse me, but are there any shrines around here?"

"Um, I'm not sure.  I think the Higurashi shrine is only a few miles north of here."

"Arigato!"

Tomoyo bowed respectfully and headed out of the mall.  She jumped into her red convertible.  She then decided to pick up Nakuru and take her to the temple as well.  That done, they headed for the Higurashi Shrine, to pray for their ill and lost friends.

Slaves' Cell

Fours hours.  Kiyoshi said that he would return in four hours.  He said that, by Amaya's estimation, about twelve hours ago.  The four-hour wake up call never came.  Sakura had been sleeping peacefully the entire time.  Her arms were around Amaya's shoulders and her head rested snugly in the crook of the vampire's neck.  Their cramped environment and the cold, not to mention the fact that Kiyoshi took their clothes, forced the two girls to sleep in each other's arms with Sakura atop Amaya.  Amaya had awoken four hours ago.  As a vampire, she rarely had more than five hours of sleep at a stretch.  The warmth from the girl sleeping on her must have made her sleep those extra three hours.  Amaya sighed again, wondering when this girl would wake up and get off of her.

Amaya's thoughts began to drift randomly.  She remembered her first meeting with Kiyoshi…

Amaya's Flashback

Darkness.  Dirt.  Filth.  Pain.  Great, all-consuming pain surrounded the pitiful girl.  A large pool of blood formed around this barely living woman.  She was going to exsanguinate, to die from loss of blood.  She heard a voice, whistling some unknown tune.  A happy tune that only made her even more profoundly depressed.  She cried out, but her slit throat barely allowed one to breathe, let alone speak.  Those damned vampires…  She didn't even know that vampires existed before now.  She knew the legends as a student of the occult, but had no idea that they actually existed!

That whistling was receding now.  'PLEASE!  FIND ME!' she screamed in her mind.  She wanted to be found, to be taken care of.  She wanted to remember a kind face before she died, not a group of dirty men with fangs.  She deserved as much.

Footsteps?

Her world faded to black…

Her eyes opened.  Reds and golds danced in her blurry vision.  She tried to swallow, but her throat was dry.  A slight salty taste lingered in her mouth, but she didn't know of the cause of it.  As her vision began to clear, she moved her stiff neck to get a view of her surroundings.  She saw a vaulted ceiling with red tapestries hanging down.  There seemed to be golden characters on them, but her vision was still too blurry to distinguish anything.

She heard a fire roaring to her left.  She felt blankets on her body.  She smelled the pleasant aroma of incense burning silently.

"How are you feeling?" a concerned voice asked her.

She would have jumped from surprise, but she was too weak to make that kind of movement.  She simply whimpered, the best reply that she could manage.

"You were in horrible shape when I found you.  I apologize, but I was forced to remove your clothing to clean you up and bandage all of your wounds."

Hearing that, her eyes widened considerably.

"Once again, I apologize.  At the very least, I managed to save your life.  Those vampires took a lot of blood from you, but I managed to help you.  I'll explain more once you're strong enough to get up and ask me what happened yourself."

With that, this mysterious young man placed a plastic tube at her lips, telling her that it was water with added nutrients.

Everyday, he would come in and check on her.  He would tell her stories, change her bandages, and generally keep her company.  After about a week, she finally managed to sit up and ask her caretaker, "What happened?  Where am I?  Who are you?"

"Let's see, my name is Kiyoshi.  You are in my mansion.  And you were attacked by vampires and left for dead."

"How did I survive?"

"I'm afraid that this might shock you.  I tried every spell, incantation, and medical treatment possible, but I felt that there was no other choice…"

"What happened?"

"I found a vampire and I fed some of his blood.  I made you a vampire…"

"WHAT!  ONE OF THOSE VILE CREATURES!  I'D RATHER BE DEAD!"

"You are dead.  To sire you, I had to allow you to die after drinking the blood."

"I'm dead, too!"

"Please, don't be angry.  I just wanted to save beauty.  I wanted to preserve your loveliness."

She was very surprised.  This man must actually care for her if he went through all of that trouble and now he was complimenting her beauty.

"I guess that I'll learn to live with it…"

"What's your name, anyway?"

"My name?"

"Yes."

"Amaya…"

"'Night Rain,' it's very lovely."

"Arigato…"

End Flashback

Amaya sighed and hoped that Kiyoshi would return soon.

Higurashi Shrine

Tomoyo and Nakuru finally made it to the Higurashi shrine.  They walked in the shrine and were met by an old man.

"If you're looking for Kagome, I'm afraid that her rheumatism is acting up again," the man told them.

"Uh, we just came to pray…" Tomoyo said.

"…But we hope that Kagome feels better soon," Nakuru told the man.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that.  Her classmates come around a lot because they're worried.  Please, come with me to the shrines."

Tomoyo and Nakuru then began to follow the man through a corridor.

"I sense an odd energy here.  Do you have some ancient artifacts or something here?" Nakuru asked.

The unsurprised man answered, "Yes, we have the town's bone eater's well here."

"Bone eater's well?" Tomoyo asked.

"A long time ago," Nakuru started, "people once hunted demons and killed them.  They'd then burn the bodies and place their bones into a dry well.  The well was then blessed with certain incantations and charms to contain any lingering energy."

"Ha!  Demons aren't real," Tomoyo pointed out.

Nakuru and the old man stopped and stared at her with a look that said, "You sure?"

"Well, here's the fire and water shrine.  You can ask the elements and the Buddha for help here," the elderly man told them before disappearing around the corner from whence they had just come.

Nakuru and Tomoyo walked in and looked around the room.  It was a fairly large room split into two sections.  On the right was the fire half.

A small pyre burned brightly there and wooden logs and scrolls containing prayers sat aside the flame.  Apparently, one found the correct prayer and burned it.  The ascending ashes would make the request of the gods.

On the left was a small pool of water.  The pool was clear and clean and pure.  Only mountain spring water could fill the pool.  Floating upon the surface were small boats that held prayers.  Scrolls and pens on the side allowed the praying person to draft his own prayer to set afloat.

Tomoyo took the water half and Nakuru took the fire half.  Nakuru selected the scrolls asking for granting power to her friends and luck in battle.  Tomoyo set prayers floating praying for the safe return of friends and for her friends to become well again.  Both took several minutes to kneel and pray to the Buddha and whatever gods and goddesses they felt were appropriate.  Nakuru arose and left, Tomoyo following a few seconds later.

On the way back to the car, Nakuru sensed something odd.  She turned just in time to see a young woman run into a small shack.  Nakuru alerted Tomoyo and walked over to investigate.  She entered this shack and walked down the stairs.  In the center of the shack was a dry well.  Nakuru took a look around, but found no sign of the girl.  She looked down the well and besides a small hole dug into the ground at its bottom, she found nothing.

"What was it?" Tomoyo asked when Nakuru returned to the car.

"I have no idea, but it's definitely odd," was her reply.

"Excuse me but, huh?"

"I saw a young lady run into a small shack at the rear of the temple.  Upon entry, I found no one there…"

Tomoyo thought about it.  It was definitely serious, though.  Nakuru was always perky and spoke in such a way.  For her to be talking so formally meant that she was deep in thought.  Tomoyo could not contribute to the situation, so she decided to drive back to Eriol's home as quick as she could.

Past

"Excuse me little boy, but do you know where a Miko named Kaede lives?" Syaoran asked a young boy.

"Hai!  She lives in the hut at the center of town!" the energetic child answered.

"Alright then, thanks!" Yukito told him and the boy ran off to resume play with his friends.

"Well, let's find this Miko!" Kero cheered.

"Keep it down stuffed animal!" Syaoran yelled at him.

"Don't you tell me to keep quiet you Chinese gaki!"

"Ye have a loud voice for such a small demon," an elderly lady with an eye patch told Kero.

Syaoran and Kero froze before the small guardian ducked into Li's robes.

"What demon?" Syaoran asked innocently.

"The one that hides in thy robe's folds," she answered simply.

"I don't think we should try to lie to her anymore.  She knows," Yukito offered simply.

"Aye, I know of thy demon's magical abilities.  Tell me, why hath thee entered my humble village?" she asked.

"We've come in search of Kaede.  We are told that she can help us find the half-demon Inu-Yasha," Yukito announced.

"Why dost thou seek that vile creature?" the woman asked with distaste in her voice.

"The magician Clow Reed has fallen ill.  The only one that can heal him has been taken prisoner by some evil mage.  We seek Lord Inu-Yasha to help us mount a rescue attempt," Yukito informed her.

"Why thinks thee that he might lend you aid?"

"Clow simply told us to seek him out.  Nothing more," Syaoran explained.

"I'm told that he owes a debt to no one save a winged man," The elderly woman stated skeptically.

Yukito chuckled briefly and cryptically said that he'd almost forgotten.  He then transformed into Yue before the village's eyes.  His snow-white wings came to encircle the platinum blonde man and soon, Yue emerged from his metamorphosis.

The woman's eyes went wide and notched an arrow on the bow she held.  The arrow began to glow faintly with blue energy.  In response, Yue raised his own bow and readied an arrow for fire.

"I am Kaede!  Sister of the great Priestess Kikyo!  State thy purpose here!" the woman commanded.

"Where are the half-demon and his friends?" Yue questioned coldly.

"We only want to help our former master and mistress!" Kero yelled.

Kaede relaxed slightly and told them to head north.  Yue dispelled his weapon and they began to walk away.  Yue turned back into Yukito as they walked.  Only once they were far out of sight of the village did Kaede relax her bow and return to her hut.

Clow-sama's Home

Yue and Cerberus (the other ones) were tending to their master as well as they could.  Sakura's healing magic had begun to fade and Clow grew weaker with every passing day.  Using the Lasin board (Dang that thing's old!) Yue was able to tell that Clow only had a week left; two at the most.  They feared they would lose the man who meant everything to them.  It's a truly moving thing… to see a winged man and lion shed the same tears.

Elsewhere

"Come on Inu-Yasha!  I sense jewel shards this way!" a young woman with long black hair said as she rode her out-of-place pink bicycle.

"Slow down wench!" a boy with long white hair and red clothing said as he ran along side her.

"Please, Kagome-sama, at least wait for those of us who aren't demons," a monk with a blue robe and a staff called ahead as he ran.

"Teehee!  Keep up if you can Miroku!" a woman jeered the monk from atop her mount, a two-tailed animal that looked strangely like a cat.

"Uh, guys?" a small half-fox, half-human boy said from the basket of the bicycle.

"What is it, Shippou?" Kagome asked.

"I can smell a demon up ahead," Shippou said.

"Why didn't you smell it, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked as she reduced speed.

"I did, I just wanted you to be surprised!" Inu-Yasha stated with annoyance in his voice.

Kagome just growled at him.

"How many demons are in this time period?" Syaoran yelled his question as a large ogre tried to grab him unsuccessfully.

"Too many!" Cerberus called a reply.

Yue was letting arrows fly as quickly as he could.  Two a second was quite impressive, especially since he was dodging attacks the entire time, but they seemed to have little effect.  Kero charged the monster but was swatted down.  He lay unconscious on the ground.  Yue went down to help him, but the ogre made a swipe and took a part of Yue's right wing clean off.  Syaoran used his water and thunder ofudos at the same time.  It stunned the monster, but Li was too drained to fight.  That demon must have some means of draining energy from others to self-heal.  Then, Syaoran heard something.

"KAZE NO KIZU!" was what Li heard.  He saw a man with a large sword rise into the air and saw him strike nothing.  Syaoran then saw nothing but white, then his vision faded to blackness…

Fin Chapter Three: Lessons

There's your third chapter!  Sorry that it's a tad late, but I've been busy.  I hope you like it!  Please review!  I would like any kind of criticism, constructive or otherwise.  Pointers or plot suggestions are always welcome as well!  Well, HAPPY NEW YEAR, and sayonara!


	4. Enlisting Aid

Hey everyone!Here's the much-awaited chapter four!I know that you've all been dying to read it!Or if you haven't, you should've been!Anywho, I hope ya'll like this'n!

Disclaimer:I do not own certain magical attacks mentioned here.Konami holds those rights.I simply needed spells and effects for a certain sequence.

Chapter Four:Enlisting Aid

Past

"Sakura!" Syaoran yelled happily.A tear escaped his eye as he saw his lost love.They ran toward each other and she jumped into his arms.

"Syaoran!I missed you so much!" Sakura exclaimed, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Syaoran picked her up and spun her around in joy."I missed you too," he told her gaily.

She giggled as she floated through the air.Syaoran slowed and placed her back on the ground.He now simply held her and when he looked down at her, she looked up at him.

"You're crying…" she said, noting his dampened eyes and cheeks.

"So are you…" he pointed out.He held her cheek in his hand and wiped away a tear with his thumb.He leaned down and closed his eyes as he captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

Suddenly, Syaoran felt a lot of heat.He jerked back from reflex.He opened his eyes just in time to see Sakura be surrounded by flames.Her eyes were wide, her face contorted in horror.

"Help Syaoran!HELP ME!" she screamed as loud as she could.

He reached out to her, tried to help her, but he couldn't move.He ordered his legs to move.He yelled, he screamed, and he pleaded them to move, but they did not.In seconds, Sakura was burned beyond recognition.Her charred body fell to the ground.Suddenly able to move again, Syaoran collapsed to his knees.He pounded the ground with his fists as he sobbed.He then thought that he heard a voice.He looked to Sakura's burned corpse and her mouth was moving!She was alive!

"What are you trying to say?" he asked her.

She mumbled and Syaoran repeated his question, moving his ear almost directly touching her blackened lips.

"…Why did you save me?I trusted you and you let me die…" was what she told him in a raspy voice.

Syaoran moved back in shock and went to argue.To tell her that he tried so hard to save her, but he couldn't move.But, before he could utter a word, Sakura's body collapsed into dust and soot and then her ashes quickly blew away.Syaoran began to cry again, sobbing loudly.He listened to the cold wind that had blown his love's remains away.It seemed to say something to him…

"You let her die…" it said, "You let her die when you could have saved her…" the wind hissed at him angrily.

Syaoran sat bolt upright in his bed.Sweat poured down his entire bed and his breathing was heavy and erratic.He glanced about feverishly, not understanding what was going on.Soon, a young lady entered his room with a concerned look on her face.She had long black hair and a colorful kimono wrapped around her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, knelling beside him.

"Nightmare," he said simply, beginning to get his breath under control.

"Are you alright now?" she asked him.

Syaoran swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth and said, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Breakfast will be ready in an hour.Your clothes are in the corner."

Syaoran glanced at them and noticed something odd."How'd you get the blood stains out?"

"Oh, us demon exterminators have little tricks like that," the woman said before leaving.

"Demon exterminators?" he asked himself, then moved to dress.

Syaoran emerged from the makeshift tent to see something he didn't expect.He saw a blanket spread out over the ground and a cooler full of cans of soda and ice.He then saw the girl that had attended to him an hour earlier.Next to her, he saw a charming young lady in a green high school uniform.On the other side of her, he spotted a monk in blue robes with prayer beads oddly encircling his right forearm.A small fox demon sat near them.Kero was next to this fox and Yukito was having a pleasant conversation with the demon exterminator.

"He's awake," called a voice from above.Syaoran looked up to see a boy with long white hair and red fighting clothes.A sword was attached to his left hip as well.

"Good morning Syaoran!" Yukito chirped as he noticed him.

"Yukito-san, who are these people?" Syaoran asked.

"Feh, you'd think that he'd remember his saviors…" the boy in the try said sarcastically.

"Inu-Yasha, sit," the girl in the uniform told him.Suddenly, the beads around Inu-Yasha's neck began to glow and he was slammed into the branch he was sitting on by an unseen force.

"Gah!Wench!What was that for!" he demanded.

"For being mean to our guest," she replied matter-of-factly.

Inu-Yasha growled at her, but remained silent.

"Hold it!" Syaoran yelled.

Everyone looked at him questioningly.

"I saw a flash of light and I woke up here to find myself in the company of two women, two men, and a boy.Two of which are demons (he must noticed Inu-Yasha's claws), one's a demon exterminator, and the fourth is a schoolgirl from my time.WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!?!?!"

Yukito smiled at him nervously before speaking, "These people saved us."

"Who are they?" Syaoran asked, still frustrated.

Kero indicated everyone in turn as he named them off, "The monk is called Miroku, the girl in the colorful kimono is Sango the demon exterminator, the girl in the uniform is Kagome, the fox demon is Shippou, and the unpleasant fellow in the tree is Inu-Yasha."

"These are the people we've been looking for," Yukito assured him.

Syaoran cautiously sat between Kagome and Sango and reached for a dish of fired rice and eggs.He ate hungrily and quickly.

"What drinks do you have?" Syaoran asked Kagome.

"Oh, it's a canned liquid called soda or coke," she explained to him as if he were from this time period.

Syaoran gave her an odd look and turned to Yukito for help.

"Oh, let's see, we have:7-Up, Sprite, Cherry Coke, and one coffee that's still hot," Yukito told him.

"I'll have the coffee then.I need caffeine," he said drowsily as he took the can from Yukito.He handled the hot can carefully and expertly opened the tab before taking a few sips.

"How did you know about…?" Kagome trailed off disbelievingly.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Li Syaoran of the Li clan in China.I was, or will be, born in the year 1982," Syaoran stated then took another sip of his coffee.

"You're from my time?How did you get here?" Kagome asked him.

"We were going to ask you the same thing," Kero said.

"She got here by way of the Bone Eater's well, a magical gateway that allows a holder of a Shikon shard to travel through time," Miroku piped up.

"Now it's your turn," Inu-Yasha said, jumping down from the tree.

"We got here by way of The Return, a magical card created by Clow Reed and transformed by Kinomoto Sakura, and an ancient tree in out time," Syaoran explained.

"Ok, now why have you needed to seek us out?" Sango asked.

"Clow-sama fell ill and we traveled back in time to save him.In the process of healing him, a woman appeared and grabbed Sakura, and then they both disappeared.She's bee kidnapped and Clow said that you might help us rescue her," Syaoran told them.

"Feh, why would we help humans like you?" Inu-Yasha asked with distaste.

Yukito stood and transformed into Yue and told him, "Because you owe Clow Reed a favor, or did you forget how he saved your life?"

Inu-Yasha's Flashback

"Sankon Tetsusou!" Inu-Yasha yelled, slicing an attacking wolf demon in two.For each one he killed, it seemed as if another two jumped on his back to rip at his spine.

"Get off of me!" he yelled as he tossed them off and tried to rip apart another one.

He was taking out several of them, but there were dozens more that he couldn't handle.They all lunged onto him and began to rip him apart.

"KIKYO!" he called his love for help.That beautiful miko would be able to lend aid.

"Firey!" he heard a voice call.Suddenly, he was surrounded by flame and many of the wolves disintegrated.The rest were burned badly, but ran off.Inu-Yasha turned to see his love, his beautiful Kikyo that had saved his life, but she was not there.Instead, there stood a man with a long blue robe and a staff with a sun on the end.

"Who are you?" Inu-Yasha asked him.

"I'm Clow Reed," he said.

"Don't think I owe you anything!" Inu-Yasha yelled at him.

"Don't worry, you'll help me when I have need of it…" he said, and then he disappeared.

Inu-Yasha was left staring at air and wondered if it had happened at all.If it had, how did that mage know that his clothes were made from the skin of a Fire Rat, and therefore fireproof?

End Flashback

"You'll have to do better than that!I'd save a life or fight a battle, but rescuer is not my thing!" Inu-Yasha said, turning his back.

"What about our five shards of the Shikon jewel? Yukito asked.

"You have shards of the sacred jewel?" Miroku asked.

"Hai, and they're all yours if you help us," Kero said.

"Alright, we'll do it!" Kagome chirped.

"No, we're not…" Inu-Yasha began.

"Sit!" Kagome cut him off and his head slammed into the ground.

"I believe your choice in this matter is limited," Miroku commented, standing up and beginning to pack away what was left of breakfast.

"Well then, let us be on our way," Sango told them.She slung her Hiraikotsu over her shoulder and began to walk away.

"Wait!How do you plan on finding this girl anyway?" Inu-Yasha pointed out.

"Um, we don't know…" Yukito said sadly.

"Humans… Here, do you have something of hers?Something with her scent on it?" Inu-Yasha demanded.

"Hai…" Li said, handing him a scarf that was almost drenched in her perfume.He kept it in secret so that he could smell her sweet scent whenever he felt alone.

Inu-Yasha snatched it from Syaoran's hand and began to sniff it.Syaoran was about to protest when Inu-Yasha suddenly stiffened and fell over.Hs eyes were swirling and he looked drunk.

Shippou took a sniff and said, "The smell is too strong, and it knocked him out!"

"Just like that ink we fought against a long time ago…" Kagome recollected.

"Ink?" Sango asked?

"Happened a long time ago," Miroku began, "A human was using a Shikon shard to bring ink drawings to life and terrorize villagers."

"I guess he won't be much help then," Kero said, hovering over the incapacitated demon and poking him occasionally.

"We know that Sakura is being kept in a location protected against magic, as we can't find it.Can that help?" Yukito asked.

Miroku was sitting and seemed to be praying with his eyes closed when he spoke, "Do you think that it's an energy field?"

"Could be…" Yukito said, not know where he was going.

"Well, surely the energy barrier itself would have its own aura to exude…" Miroku continued.

"So we look for energy fields?" Yukito asked rhetorically.

"Worth a try…" Syaoran said, pulling out his Lasin Board.

He soon completed his chant and his board leapt to life, pointing in three different directions at once.

"Well, it's a start, I guess," Kagome stated.

"We should depart as soon as Inu-Yasha regains consciousness," Sango stated.

"I need to run a few errands, I'll be back in a little while," Kagome said, getting on her bike to leave.

"Wait!" Syaoran called.

"What is it?" asked a confused Kagome.

"You mind if we go with you?We've been trapped here for weeks and I'm sure that our friends are worried."

"Oh, of course!"

The guardians assumed their true forms and Syaoran rode Cerberus and Yue flew while Kagome took her bike.Once they made it to the well, Kagome made sure that each of them had a jewel shard and they soon stepped into the well, and vanished.

Present, Higurashi Shrine

"Nakuru, why are we out here?" Tomoyo said, shivering.

"I saw a girl enter a shack and she disappeared.Even if it's nothing, it'll distract me from the problems at home," Nakuru said the last sadly.

"At least we could have worn some baggier, warmer, and less… uh, skanky," Tomoyo pointed out.

Nakuru suppressed a chuckle as she looked at her friend.Tomoyo was decked out in black leather of a tight variety.It was almost like a full cat suit, as it covered every inch of her body, save her face, with tight leather.Of course, its tightness wasn't helping with the unseasonably cold weather.

"Oh, buck up!At least you're fully covered!" Nakuru laughed out.She was wearing tight, dark red pleather pants with a black vinyl halter-top, showing off a generous amount of midriff.Her pleather gloves worked the lock carefully.

"How much longer?"

"Almost… Got it!" Nakuru announced happy as she removed the picked lock from the hasp and opened the front gates.The two proceeded silently, their dark clothing providing maximum protection on the moonless night.Akizuki-san quietly stepped over to the shed with Tomoyo in tow.Soon, they gained entrance.

"What are we looking for?" Tomoyo asked, reading the prayers hanging from the ceilings and walls.

"Anything out of the ordinary…" Nakuru trailed off.

"What is out of the ordinary for us?"

Nakuru stopped as she pondered for a moment, finally saying, "Ok then, look for stuff that would be completely normal for us."

Tomoyo giggled as she continued her survey.

"Ah, this is interesting," Nakuru stated.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, this is a Bone Eater's well."

"And that would be…?"

"Back in ancient times, demon remains were stored in these wells and charms protected it from demons resurrecting from the bone stored here."

"Funny myths we had."

"Like winged people who shoot crystals, or large animals with wings, or cards that control the power of the elements?"

"Oh, good point."

"Do you feel something?"

"Like what?"

Suddenly, the well began to glow with a mysterious light.Nakuru and Tomoyo moved to the edge of the well to see what was going on.Suddenly, Kero, Yue, Syaoran, and some girl popped out of the well!Li happened to land on Nakuru.Yue and Kero landed on their feet, as did the girl.

"I didn't know you felt this way, Li," Nakuru commented jokingly.

Syaoran gave her a confused look until he released what she meant.He happened to land on top of her, straddling her waist.Out of reflex, he had a hand on her left breast to steady himself and his face happened to be perched an inch above hers.

As soon as he realized his position, he leapt off of her and backed away, falling down and sliding along the stone floor.Everyone except for Yue nearly collapsed in laughter as Syaoran tried to apologize and help her up.Even Yue cracked a smile.

"So," this new girl asked Nakuru and Tomoyo cautiously, "Who are you and what are you doing in my shrine?"

"Kagome?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yeah!" she replied.

"How's your arthritis?" Nakuru asked, concerned.

"**GRANDPA!!!!**"

Slaves' Training Room

Sakura was standing in the center of darkness.The black void surrounded her.She stood nude, but defiant and strong.She would resist any attack on her with her very life.She watched the shadow slowly circling her, waiting for it to make its move.

"You are now my slave.I will refer to as Slave and you are to be known henceforth only as Slave," the shadow stated.

"No!I am Kinomoto Sakura!" she called out defiantly.

Suddenly, she screamed as the pink collar around her neck began to seethe with electricity.Sakura writhed and pulled at the collar, but it stayed fast.She dropped to her knees and breathed heavily as the waves of pain left her thin body.She then stood slowly and regained her position.If anything, she seemed to stand taller than before.

"What is your name?" the shadow asked.

"Kinomoto…" Sakura had no chance to finish as another wave of energy coursed through her body.This time, the collar remained in the same position in midair, not allowing her to collapse or relax her posture.

"Your name?" the shadow asked again.

"Sakura!The Card Mistress!" she yelled at him angrily.

Once more, pain and energy cycled through her body.This blast was more intense, and danced over every part of her body, inside and out.Her collar threw her to the ground and forced her into a kneeling position.As the pain continued to electrify her body, the band around her neck tightened, tightened, tightened.She could scarcely breathe.

"Now, I shall only ask you once more.What is your name?" the shadow asked, leaning in.He slowly clenched his fist and the collar tightened slightly more.A twitch and her throat would collapse and she would die a slow, painful death.

"I am…" she began.

"Yes?"

"I am a slave."

"Whose slave?"

"I am the slave of Master Kiyoshi, your slave," Sakura admitted, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"And who will save you?"

"No one…"

"See that wasn't THAT hard.Now was it?" Kiyoshi said.He released his magical hold on her and she collapsed onto her side.She was breathing heavily, exhausted.

Kiyoshi moved in close and took her in his arms and held her.An odd warmness spread over Sakura's body.She felt love, confidence, she felt as if she were wanted and needed.

"Shhhh, shhhhh, quiet my slave.I'm sorry, but it's the only way you'll learn," Kiyoshi whispered warmly in her ear.

"It's my fault, master, not yours," she said, giving in to his will.

He smiled and the warmness and Sakura felt expanded.She felt total contentment now.

"Just be well, my slave," he said, exerting more control over her already fragile psyche.

"May I sleep with you tonight?" she asked.

"No, you have more nights yet in your sleeping place."

"Yes master…"

Kiyoshi picked her up like a child and took a short walk through his castle.He soon came to a simple door that led to a not-so-simple room.Kiyoshi looked down upon the girl's beauty, and let her float into this room.She whimpered from the loss, but almost screamed from the room in which she was placed.

She transitioned into a magical room.It was complete darkness that was blindingly bright.It was deafeningly silent.It was painfully senseless.Nothing existed in the cluttered chaos of the room.She curled into a fetal position and cried silently.She heard taunting and jeering in the quiet.She saw glares in the serene darkness.She couldn't get away from the nothingness that chased her.

"You're stupid!" called her best friend.

"You're an embarrassment!" called a long lost mother.

"You don't deserve my honorable name!" jeered a sick father.

"I should never have entrusted you with my cards, you weak fool!" a boy with glasses yelled angrily, betraying his mysterious smirk.

"I don't love you…" a soft voice said.

"But Syaoran!" Sakura yelled back at the faint voice.

"Sakura, I've never loved you.I never could.I've just been waiting for you to die, so that my family can take the cards back," that voice said again, but with distaste.

"No!I love you!" Sakura cried back, tears flowing freely.

"I HATE YOU!" the image of Syaoran began to yell over and over again.With each rendition, the words were stronger, more hateful.

Then, Sakura felt a sudden warmness.She felt warm arms encircle her waist and comfort her.

"Sakura, I will never leave you…" a voice whispered in her ear.

"I love you, Kiyoshi-sama…" Sakura whispered back as she drifted into a deep sleep.

"Well, that takes care of her for the night," Kiyoshi said to himself as he went to an identical door down the corridor.He opened it and reached in, grasping an arm.From the darkness, a beautiful girl emerged.She fell out of the darkness and clung to Kiyoshi tightly.

"I missed you so much!" Amaya told him.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you in there like that.She took longer than expected," Kiyoshi explained as he held her tightly.A single tear rolled down his face as he realized the horror that he'd just put his love through.

"Promise me you'll never do it again," Amaya begged, still frightened.

"I promise, I promise," he told her as he held her even tighter.

She leaned up and kissed him softly.He held her close and deepened the kiss, tasting her sweetness.It pained to be apart from her for even five hours.

"Let's just go and rest," he said, pulling away slightly.

"Okay," Amaya said softly, leaning on him as they walked.

Once they arrived at the bedchambers, Amaya climbed into bed and Kiyoshi right behind her.Kiyoshi pressed himself up against her and wrapped an arm around her slender waist.

He moved her luxurious hair aside and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," was her soft reply.

She felt great warmness come over her, but it was not magical.Or at least, it was not magic from Kiyoshi.It was the magic of her heart, for she truly loved that man.She slowly drifted off to sleep with a smile upon her face.

Amaya's Dream

"No!I shall not be held prisoner here!" Amaya screamed at Kiyoshi.

"You're still weak!Please, just another three days!" he pleaded with her.

"No!Now remove the binding from this door!"

"If you so wish…" Kiyoshi conceded sadly and waved his hand.The door instantly opened wide.

"Thank you for you help, now goodbye!" she called back as she ran out.

She ran for sometime, her vampire body never tiring.She happened upon the same part of town in which she was attacked.She glanced around wearily, trying to avoid a confrontation, but found no one.She began to walk toward her own estate toward the center of town.

"Hey!We ate you, didn't we?" a male voice said from nowhere.

"Yeah, she had a sweet taste to her.I can still feel in on the tip of my tongue," another said in another direction.

"I drained her almost dry, how did she live?" yet another voice inquired rhetorically from a new direction.

It would seem that she was surrounded.From the shadows, three men stepped forward.All of them were disheveled and dirty.They all also shared one other common trait, they all had fangs.

"You…" Amaya said with a mix of fear and disgust.

"Yeah, us…Your worst nightmare," a fourth said, appearing behind her.

"You seem to have lived," one said, then sniffed the air."And what's more, you've been turned.Interesting…"

"It is none of your concern!" she snapped at him.

"I like 'em feisty," another vampire said, grabbing her breast from behind.

Fear plus anger plus vampire strength equaled a vampire partially embedded in a brick wall before losing consciousness.

"HAH!Nice show, you should charge admission," the one that seemed to be their leader said with a smirk on his face.

"Too bad you can't kill him…" another one joked.

"If you wish…" she said.Suddenly, a blast of energy left her body and entered the sleeping vampire.He instantly turned to dust.

Another man that she'd not noticed stepped forward.He wore a long violet robe and seemed to be a mage of some sort.

"She has a soul!Back away!" the new one called.

"Oh great, now I have to fight vampires AND a dark mage?" Amaya whined to herself.

"Yes, you do!" the mage said as he began to chant.Soon, he lifted his staff and the vampires all began to glow with a dark light.

Amaya tried to use her soul attack again, but it had no effect.They were impervious to her light magic.

All of the vampires took this as open season on humans and attacked all at once.They ripped at her clothes and body.They violated her and demeaned her.But instead of killing her, they kept her alive and brought her to an abandoned theatre.

Abandoned Theatre

"W-what are you going to do to me?" Amaya asked shakily.She was badly bruised and beaten.Both legs were broken.Her right arm had a compound fracture and her left shoulder was dislocated.Nearly all of her ribs were cracked or broken.Simply put, she wished she weren't a vampire so that she could just die and not feel the pain any longer.

"Now, what shall we do with her?" one asked.

"I want to keep her!I've always wanted a pet," another pointed out.

"No, she shall be my sex slave.Don't worry, I'll share…" the leader declared.

"And as long as I'm around," the dark mage said, "she will pose no threat."

"You know," a voice suddenly rang in the air, "There is one thing that can beat a dark mage and kill his vampire friends."

"Oh?What's that?Rays of sunshine?" the mage laughed out.

A man dropped down from nowhere and stood between them and Amaya.He wore a long white robe and held a silver staff.His outfit was nearly the same as the dark mage's, except it was done in whites and silvers.

"A light mage!" Kiyoshi declared.

And dark mage leapt up and raised his staff, but it was too late.

"I call upon the power of the Spellbinding Circle!" Kiyoshi called and a magical seal appeared around the dark mage and he became unable to move.Kiyoshi then waved his staff and the dark mage was no more.He then cast another magical spell, "I summon the Swords of Revealing Light!"A number of swords made of light descended and encircled the vampires; the great brightness caused them to each burst into flames before perishing.

"Why did you save me?" Amaya asked weakly as Kiyoshi worked to free her.

"Well, um…"

"Yes?"

"You see, I-I…"

"Please…"

"I love you…"

Fin Chapter Four:Enlisting Aid

That's all he wrote… on this chapter anyway.As always, please review and stay tuned for the next chapter.I'm going to have lots of free time, so it shouldn't take more than a week.But as always, no promises!Please review!Sayonara!


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